Carrot-Shaped Easter Cheeseball

I always see a bunch of these around holiday time; snowman cheeseball for Christmas, pumpkin cheeseball for Halloween – it’s only fitting that we’d get one for Easter, and I’m glad it’s in the shape of a carrot, not a bunny. That would be way out of my league.

I’m sure there’s a way to make this low-fat, but I went full fat. Go big or go home, right? I used cream cheese, bacon, and cheddar cheese as my primary ingredients. If you’re not eating the whole thing and you serve it with vegetables too, it’s fine.

Feel free to get creative here – you can omit the bacon if you’re vegetarian, and you can add in some chopped red bell pepper and carrots to make it like a veggie cream cheese dip (which would make a lot of sense for the carrot shape too).

Note: I used packaged shredded cheddar for the inside of the cheeseball and freshly grated cheddar for the outside. I felt the thicker pieces didn’t disintegrate into the cream cheese mixture and I like getting those little bites of cheese. But if you prefer, use the finely shredded for both!

Carrot-Shaped Easter Cheeseball

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

4 strips of bacon

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tbsp Worcestershire

1/2 cup packaged, shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated or finely grated cheddar cheese

Small bunch of parsley

Parchment paper

Directions

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp and set aside on paper towels to cool. Once cooled, crumble or chop into small pieces.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, bacon, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, Worcestershire, and 1/2 cup cheese together. I used a big spatula, but you can also use a hand mixer. Cover and set in the fridge for 20 minutes until firm but still pliable enough to shape.

On a piece of parchment paper, take out the ball of cream cheese and shape into a carrot with your hands. I used a piece of plastic wrap over the cream cheese mixture so my hands wouldn’t get all messy, plus it was easier to shape this way because it didn’t stick to me!

Remove the plastic and the parchment when you’re ready to plate. Cover the “carrot” with the freshly grated cheddar cheese. Stick the bunch of parsley on top and you’re done! Serve with veggies and crackers.